Current-collector or trolley for electric railways.



Patented luly l6, l90l. v W. GRUNOW, in.

CURRENT COLLECTOR 0R TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application filed Apr. 92, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

MUG/M1506 l/Vi meow/o No 678,559. I Patented m 16, I901.

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CURRENT COLLECTOR 0R TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

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WILLIAM GRUNOW, JR, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MOELROY-GRUNOVV ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM, OF SAME PLACE.

CURRENT COLLECTOR-OR TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAELVVAYSH SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,559, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed April 22, 1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GRUNOW, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have made anew and useful Invention in Current-Collectors or Trolleys for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in current-collectors or trolleys for use in connection with sectional thirdrail systems of electric railways; and it has for its objects, first, to devise such a currentcollector or trolley as will maintain electrical contact with the rails or contacting conductor under all conditions of usage; second, to devise a current-collector or trolley adapted particularly for use with systems of electric railways where tracks cross or merge into each other at acute angles and in which the adjoining ends of the two sets of sectional third rails are therefore necessarily separated from each other by considerable spaces, for this reason necessitating at such points the use of an abnormally long current-collector or shoe, and, third, to provide a current-collector or trolley in the nature of a shoe with means intermediate its ends for effecting the removal of any obstruction which may pass between it and the rail, no matter in which direction the shoe may be moving.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken through Fig. 2 on the line AA and as seen looking thereat from the bottom toward the top of the drawings in the direction of the arrows, the essential parts of the device being shown in elevational view. Fig. 1 is a plan view of that part of the trolley shoe which normally rests upon the third rails when in operation under ordinary conditions of usage and as seen looking at Fig. 1 from the bottom toward the top of the drawings, all of the other parts of the structure being omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the invention as seen looking at Fig. 1 from the top toward the bottom of the drawings, the car wheels, axles, platform, and adjacent parts, however, not being shown in this view. Fig.

Serial No. 56,994. (No model.)

3 is a detail sectional view of a part of the platform of a car and that part of the apparatus carried immediately thereby, said view being similar in all respects to the corresponding part shown on the extreme right of Fig. 1, but illustrating the location of the apparatus in a different position. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the broken line B B, Fig. 1, and as seen looking thereat from right to left in the direction of the arrows, the supporting-frame of the apparatus and the operating-link therefor not being shown in this view. Fig. 5 is a plan view of two intersecting or merging lines of railways provided each with an electrical sectional thirdrail system of rails, said lines and rails running into each other at an acute angle, this figure of the drawings being on a diminished scale as compared with the other figures for the purpose of illustrating the especial application of my novel form of compound current-collector or trolley.

In many third-rail systems of electric railways in which the sectional third rails or conductors are automatically connected to and disconnected from the current feeder or main by electromagnetic switching devices and in which the closure of said circuits is effected by a continuous flow of current through the switching-electromagnets in sequence as a car passes thereover it is absolutely necessary that the current be not disrupted between the current-collector or shoe and the third rails in passing from one to another this for the reason that any rupture of the circuitat this point demagnetizes the switching-magnets, and consequently permanently ruptures the circuit, thereby losing, so to speak, the working current to the motor on board the car.

In the construction of third-rail systems of electric railways where two lines of rails cross each other or where a second line of rails merges into a main line at a very acute angle it is necessary in order to properly preserve the insulation to separate the ends of the lines of third rails from each other by considerable distances, dependent upon the angle at which the two lines of tram-rails intersect. It is therefore found that this space cannot be properly bridged by an ordinary form of current-collector or trolley-shoe, and it was with this especial object in view that the present invention was devised. I have also found that with well-known forms of sliding trolley-shoes or current-collectors the circuit is often interrupted between the trolley-shoe and the third rail by the presence of an obstruction upon the rail. For the purpose of overcoming this objectionable feature I have so constructed my novel form of sliding trolley-shoe that when any such object passes between the shoe and the rail it will be ejected at some point intermediate the ends of the shoe, and this without effecting any actual rupture of the circuit.

For a full and clear understanding of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to construct and use the same, reference is now had to the drawings in detail, and first to Figs. 1 to at, inclusive, in which to to represent the wheels of a tram-car, and a a the axles thereof, ff being the side bars of a trolley-supporting frame secured to the axles a a, as shown, and e 6 supporting cross bars or rods firmly secured at their opposite ends to the side barsff.

b b constitute the direct supports of the trolley-shoe, said supports being secured at their opposite ends bybolts and caps, as shown, in such manner as to grip them directly to insulating-sleeves i 2 around the cross-bars e.

s 5 represent the two parts of a duplex trolley-shoe having each upwardly extending arms provided with slots at n 02, adapted to receive guiding supporting-pins m m, secured in the lower ends of lugs or extensions at the ends of the supports Z) b.

d is a long bar bent at two points above the ends of the shoes 8 s, as shown in Fig. 1, and provided with bolts 2) v at its opposite ends, supporting additional pairs of trolleyshoes 8' s in alinenient with the shoes 8 s, 'y y being leaf-springs adapted to yieldingly bear against these trolley-shoes, so that they will partake of slight vertical movement. The long supporting-bar d is sustained and guided by sliding bolts u' uand strong spiral springsgg, secured directly to theinsulatingsleeves i i, the bolts u being adapted to slide vertically through inwardly-extending lugs near the lower ends of the trolley-supports Z) Z). These springs g g are sufficiently strong to normally hold the bar cZ and its supported shoes 5 s in their upper positions, as shown in Fig. 1, with the upper surface of the bar resting against the lower surfaces of the inwardly-projecting lugs near the lower ends of the trolley-supports Z) Z) and the trolley shoes 3 3 out of contact with the rails.

Z Z Z Z are pairs of bell-crank levers secured to crossshafts, journaled at their opposite ends in the trolley-supports I), (see Fig. 2,) the lower arms of the free ends of said levers being connected directly to a cross-pin bearing upon the upper surface of the long bar (1 and also to a pair of links j j, which are connected in turn to the opposite ends of a second cross-pin adapted to move in slots n in the central duplex trolley-shoe s s, the other arms of the aforesaid bell-crank levers being connected by wooden or other insulatinglinks it h to additional bell-crank levers q q, pivoted below the platforms 0 c at the opposite ends of the car, the second arms of said bell-crank levers q q being connected each to an operating-treadle 1, adapted to move vertically through a sleeve secured in the platform and accessible to the motorman.

z is a locking-catch, and p a locking-pin, the function of which parts will be described later on.

0 0, Fig. 1, are inclined notches cut in the under faces of the duplex trolley-shoes s s, in the manner shown, said notches constitut ing means for the purpose of effecting the ejection or removalof any obstructionsuch as a nail, small stone, or the like-which might pass under the ends of either of the trolley-shoes, no matter in which direction the same might be moving, said notches being so constructed, as will be apparent, as to throw the obstruction out sidewise when it reaches the middle of the shoe by reason of the angular nature thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 5, 2 2 2 2 represent two lines of tram-rails intersecting (or merging into) each other at an acute angle, and r r r r the sectional third rails of the two systems, said sectional third rails being preferably of the twin-rail type, as illustrated in cross-section in Fig. 4, and insulated at their ends from each other by blocks of insulating material 1 1 1 1. It will be seen that where these lines of tram-rails intersect each other there is a comparatively long space, as shown by the paving-stones at 3 3, between the sectional third rails r r, so that a current-collector or shoe of the ordinary length would not bridge the space indicated. My invention is designed especially to accomplish this result.

I will now describe the operation of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, partic ularly with reference to the feature illus trated in Fig. 5.

Suppose a car to be proceeding over either of the lines of rails and in either direction. Under normal conditions the duplex trolleyshoes 3 s are conveying the current from the sectional conductors r r as it passes thereovcr through the motor on board the car and to the switch-controlling circuits, (not shown,) so that just before the motor reaches the point 3 the motorman places his foot upon the treadle t and presses it downward, thereby causing the bell-crank lever q to impart motion through the link h and second bell-crank lever Z in such a direction as to cause the cross-pin carried at the adjoining ends of the two bell-crank levers Z(see Fig. 2) to bear downwardly upon the long bar cZ against the stress of the springs g, thus causing said bar to move downward and to carry with it the guiding-bolts a, supported in the lugs near the lower ends of the trolley-supports 79, until.

the two pairs of additional trolley-shoes s s are brought into contact with the two adjoining third rails on opposite sides of the point 3, therebybridgingtheintervening space at that point. It will be noticed that the pins m on have sufficient play in the slots n n to permit of free movement. It will also be understood, of course, that the tr0lley-shoes s s and s s are connected directly to the controller and to such other circuit connections as may be necessary. After the car has passed the point 3 the motorman simply releases the treadle i, when the springs g g cause the bar d to be restored to its normal or upper position, the duplex shoes 8 .sthen performing their usual function alone for ordinary usage. When it becomes necessary to lift both sets of shoes from contact with the third rails, the motorman simply takes hold of the treadle t, using it as a handle, and lifts it bodily until the pin 19 is carried above the catch a, where it will be locked, as is apparent on inspection of Fig. 3, it being obvious that the linksj, carried by the free ends of the bell-crank levers Z, will lift the duplex shoes 8 .9 under this condition of afl'airs.

I do not limit my invention to the especial details of construction herein shown and described. I believe it is broadly new with me to so construct a sliding current-collector or trolley-shoe that in the event of an obstruction passing between it and the third rail on which itslides said obstruction will be ejected laterally at a point intermediate the ends of the shoe. I believe itis also broadly new with me to devise a compound current-collector or trolley-shoe of variable length- -that is to say,

a trolley-shoe which under normal conditions is of a definite length and which for another condition of affairs may be varied in length to suit the demands -as, for instance, at crossings or at points where the requirements make it necessary that said shoe shall be of greater length than is ordinarily required and so constructed as to bridge definite spaces at said crossingsand my claims are to be construed as of the most generic nature and to adevice of this nature which is applica ble generally in connection with electric rail ways, whether of the third-rail type or otherwise.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A compound current-collector or shoe for an electric railway consisting of two or more parts located in alinement with each other; in combination with means for varying the working contacting surface of said shoe at will, substantially as described.

2. A compound current-collector or shoe for an electric railway consisting of two or more parts located in alinement with each other, one part of said compound shoe being adapted to rest normally upon the current-collecting surface or contacting conductor and the other part thereof being normally held away from said surface or conductor; in combina tion with means for forcing it into contact therewith, substantially as described.

3. A compound current-collector or shoe for an electric railway consisting of a sliding shoe adapted to rest normally upon the currentcollecting surface or contacting conductor; in combination with one or more additional current-collecting shoes located in alinement therewith and held normally out of contact with the current=collecting surface or contacting conductor; together with means for placing all of said shoes in cont-act with the current-collecting surface or conductor, substantially as described.

4. A compound current-collector for an electric railway embracing two or more shoes located in alinement with each other; in com bination with means for placing any or all of said shoes in contact with the current-ooh lecting surface or contacting conductor; together with means for holding all of said ourrent-collecting shoes out of contact with said surface or conductor, substantially as described.

5. Acompound current collectorfor an electric railway embracing a single shoe and a pair of additional shoes located one on each side of the first-named shoe and in alinement therewith; in combination with means for causing the central shoe to rest in contact with the contacting conductor and additional means for causing the other pair of shoes to rest also in contact therewith, the arrangement being such that all of said shoes may be lifted out of contact with the conductor, substantially as described.

6. A current-collector for a sectional. thirdrail system of electric railways embracing a compound shoe composed of two or more parts so constructed and arranged that the contacting length of the shoe may be varied so as to bridge the spaces between the sectional third rails at angular crossings with other tracks, substantially as described.

'7. A current-collector for a system of electric railways embracing a single central shoe and a pair of shoes located on opposite sides thereof and in alinement therewith; in combination with means for causing the firstnamed shoe to rest normally in contact with the contacting conductor and additional means for causing the second pair of shoes to rest also in contact therewith; together with means for holding and looking all of said shoes out of operative contact with the conductor, substantially as described.

8. A current-collector or shoe provided with means intermediate its ends for effecting the removal of any obstruction which may pass between it and the third rail or contacting conductor, substantially as described.

9. A current-collector or shoe provided with & 678,559

a notch at a. point intermediate its ends, ter in which direction the shoe may be mow said notch being so constructed as to eject or ing, substantially as described.

remove any obstruction which may pass be- In testimony whereof I have signed my tween it and the third rail or contacting conname to this specification in the presence of 5 ductor, substantially as described. two subscribing Witnesses.

10. A current-collector or shoe provided with a double inclined notch intermediate its WILLIAM GRUNOW ends adapted to eject or remove any obstruc- Witnesses: tion which may pass between the shoe and C. J. KINTNER, [O the third rail or contacting conductor, no mat M. F. KEATING. 

